You dont have to run the miller 211 in autoset mode only! You can tweak manually as well.
I need some welder input from you guys.
- Thread starter Roastchestnuts
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- #42
Id like to try it out but its not in my needs 100% 3 of the 4 machines I am thinking about have some sort of autoset feature though. The hobart 210 mvp is the only one I am chewing on that does not.
Not yet but its out of warranty now unfortunately. But I will still contact them probably today. Either way i still will buy a new one. If the eastwood can be fixed maybe Ill keep flux core in it and use it for that.
Yeah I am seriously considering either the 140ez or the 210 mvp. I like the knobs too. I have rulled out ESAB 210 because the tweko torch has a special "velocity" contact tip thats not as easy to find. (I believe it does anyway either way its an excuse to rule one out.) They are also the more reliable transformer tech I believe. I am still not sold on the fact that I need more than the 140 can do at the moment. I know it would be better to get a 230v welder for the future but money is tight right now. But you also get what you pay for in welders it seems like. I feel like the hobart 140 and 210 are safe bets on reliability.
- Thread starter
- #43
yeah all the machines with this feature that I am looking at you cant just set it by the wire speed and voltage like others. The autoset is kinda cool because you get a rough idea of settings that you can also tweak. I think it would be nice for me as it would help me get better with settings and help me with technique. I am no where near as good as most of you all at welding but I hope to get there one day.
If you get your Eastwood fixed under warranty, just keep 023 in it for light gauge sheet metal work and then put 030 in your bigger welder for everything else.
I can't think of a single use case for flux core unless you're welding out in a hurricane or hate good looking welds
I can't think of a single use case for flux core unless you're welding out in a hurricane or hate good looking welds
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- #45
haha good point. you never know though! One of my thoughts was getting a welder thats generator capable since the power goes out here during storms.
That's how I do it. 023 goes in the Hobart 140 and 030 goes in the Hobart 187.
Idk anything about auto set, but if you can override it then I might be OK with it. I have an older Miller 250 with just 2 dials on it. Wire speed and voltage.
Under the hood it has a chart for initial settings. It shows type of gas, wire type and diameter, metal thickness, along with suggestions on wire speed and voltage. I also make my own notes too. Don't other machines do the same thing?
Under the hood it has a chart for initial settings. It shows type of gas, wire type and diameter, metal thickness, along with suggestions on wire speed and voltage. I also make my own notes too. Don't other machines do the same thing?
211 has same charts and two dials, voltage, wire speed
See that little felt wiper where wire feeds into fluted intake tube, that helps ALOT, keep that clean & functional, those little tarnish spots on wire dont seem like much but after running with & without the wiper I am a big fan of clean wire, really makes you mad when the cat whizzs on the spool, waste the outer 2 layers, keep lid closed.
Engineer8000
SILVER Star
I have been using my Lincoln SP-175 + for about 20 years with no issue.
Not sure if the newer 211s have this feature of the 215....my older 211 did not, it was autoset or youset.
You can adjust what the auto set givesyou in autoset or turn it off entirely.
With this machine, I'm entirely in autoset.
You can adjust what the auto set givesyou in autoset or turn it off entirely.
With this machine, I'm entirely in autoset.
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- #52
New machine you can adjust it I beleive. I saw it in a video I watched. when you jump out of auto set I think it goes to the wirespeed and voltage it chose in autoset and then you can adjust from there. At least thats what I saw on the millermatic 142 video I watched. EDIT - you can adjust the newest millermatic 211 in autoset.
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- Thread starter
- #53
SO the welding saga continues: I had suspected my EASTWOOD auto dimming welding helmet was also going bad. I thought it was the batteries so I changed those and no luck its also toast along with my eastwood 140 mig welder. NEVER again will I buy a eastwood welder or helmet. Eastwood - AKA fancy harbor freight but worse! I like harbor freight actually....
Good news though! After a glass of wine I bought an Inventor series Hobart welding helmet and to complement it I bought a millermatic 142 110v welder. I know I should have gotten the 211 but it was out of budget for me. I went with the 110 welder because I didn't feel like I was missing much with my eastwood 140 and if I feel i need a 240V welder in the future I can get one and I probably will. I have been mostly using it for body panel work. I also would have needed an 240v extension cord for the welder. as I do most my stuff under a carport. (I already own a 110v extension made for welding). I also know I will need to bring my welder over to my Dads place to help him with his Japanese dihatsu fire truck build and he does not have a 220v plug in his garage and then that made me think that most situations if I am welding anywhere other than at my "machine shed" I wont have access to 220. But I am excited. I hope this one last more than 3 years.
Millermatic 142 | Portable Mig Welder | Cyberweld - https://store.cyberweld.com/collections/mig-welders/products/miller-millermatic-142-mig-welder-907838
Good news though! After a glass of wine I bought an Inventor series Hobart welding helmet and to complement it I bought a millermatic 142 110v welder. I know I should have gotten the 211 but it was out of budget for me. I went with the 110 welder because I didn't feel like I was missing much with my eastwood 140 and if I feel i need a 240V welder in the future I can get one and I probably will. I have been mostly using it for body panel work. I also would have needed an 240v extension cord for the welder. as I do most my stuff under a carport. (I already own a 110v extension made for welding). I also know I will need to bring my welder over to my Dads place to help him with his Japanese dihatsu fire truck build and he does not have a 220v plug in his garage and then that made me think that most situations if I am welding anywhere other than at my "machine shed" I wont have access to 220. But I am excited. I hope this one last more than 3 years.
Millermatic 142 | Portable Mig Welder | Cyberweld - https://store.cyberweld.com/collections/mig-welders/products/miller-millermatic-142-mig-welder-907838
anything, auto dark sucks.
25 years old, never had a problem getting dark.
25 years old, never had a problem getting dark.
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- Thread starter
- #55
i have used both. i like it. but i could be convinced otherwise
I've always worked under this assumption as well, but I recently saw a video by a guy who uses only flux core on sheet metal. He claims it makes a softer weld than gas MIG. I think I might try it as there have been many times where I've tried to work MIG welds with a hammer/dolly, only to have it crack and/or not stretch at all.
My theory is that people maybe try to weld 20 gauge metal with .035 flux core, and of course heavy wire like that is going to burn through quite easily. But maybe you can get flux core in .025 or .023? I dunno, I haven't looked into it. But buying a roll of thin flux core wire sure sounds a lot cheaper than getting into a full TIG rig.
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- #57
Id try flux core in .025 but I remember not being able to find it. I rock solid .025 most of the time and for early fj40 metal its about perfect. for 1971 fj55 metal its pretty good. Id be curious to see how that works. do you have a link to the video? Id like to try tig one day but its not in the budget right now. I think If i had a real garage to work out of I would have thought more a bout a multiprocess welder.I've always worked under this assumption as well, but I recently saw a video by a guy who uses only flux core on sheet metal. He claims it makes a softer weld than gas MIG. I think I might try it as there have been many times where I've tried to work MIG welds with a hammer/dolly, only to have it crack and/or not stretch at all.
My theory is that people maybe try to weld 20 gauge metal with .035 flux core, and of course heavy wire like that is going to burn through quite easily. But maybe you can get flux core in .025 or .023? I dunno, I haven't looked into it. But buying a roll of thin flux core wire sure sounds a lot cheaper than getting into a full TIG rig.
Yeah i just did some searching and looks like .030 is the smallest flux core you can buy. I'll see if I can find that video and send it to you. It was just a random Instragram reel that came across my feed.
That’s the machine I have, I use the chart to start then adjust. I find that most of the time it’s pushing to much wire.
Still think it’s a great machine.
It’s windy a lot at my place and sometimes I wish I never sold my flux core machine. Can I just run flux core through a mig machine and not turn on the gas when I need to weld outside?
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You can run flux just fine, don't forget to swap the polarity though.